Feature Overview
The Abakion Intercompany app (BC647) automates the drop-ship transaction flow between Business Central companies that buy from and sell to one another. In a standard BC setup, every intercompany document — purchase orders, sales orders, shipments, invoices, and credit memos — passes through an IC Outbox in the sending company and an IC Inbox in the receiving company, requiring a user to manually export, import, and accept each transaction. The Intercompany app replaces that manual cycle with a web service channel: documents are transmitted in real time between the two BC environments as soon as they are released or posted, with no user interaction required at the outbox/inbox level. The result is a tightly coupled drop-ship flow where a customer order placed with one company automatically drives a corresponding purchase order, shipment confirmation, and invoice in the other — end to end, without manual hand-offs.
The app recognises three company roles. A Sales Company is the customer-facing entity: it receives sales orders from end customers, creates the corresponding IC purchase orders toward the Supply Company, and receives back shipment and invoice notifications. The app automates the outbound purchase order release and the import of inbound shipment receipts and purchase invoices. A Supply Company is the fulfilment entity: it receives IC sales orders from the Sales Company, picks and ships the goods, and sends shipment and invoice confirmations back. The app automates the creation and release of inbound sales orders, the posting of shipments, the creation of sales invoices, and the transmission of those documents back to the Sales Company. A Sales and Supply Company combines both roles in a single BC environment, acting as a Sales Company toward one partner and simultaneously as a Supply Company toward another — relevant in multi-tier group structures. In all three cases the app sits on top of the standard BC Intercompany module: it reuses the standard IC Partner, IC Inbox, IC Outbox, and IC G/L Account infrastructure but replaces the manual outbox/inbox handling with automated web service calls managed by a job queue.
Implementation spans at least two BC environments. Both must have the Intercompany app installed and activated. In each environment a consultant runs the Intercompany Setup Guide (Assisted Setup wizard) to assign the company role, configure the own IC partner code, and generate the supporting master data — IC partner record, vendor or customer record, purchasing code, and posting groups. Each environment must then be configured as an IC partner in the other environment, including the web service connection details. Once both sides are connected and the automation flags on the IC Partner card are enabled, the drop-ship flow operates without manual intervention. The table below summarises the key characteristics of the solution.
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company roles | Sales Company, Supply Company, Sales & Supply Company |
| Document types — orders | Sales/Purchase Order, Return Order, Blanket Order |
| Document types — postings | Shipment, Receipt, Invoice, Credit Memo, Order Confirmation |
| Transport mechanism | Web service — replaces standard IC Outbox/Inbox file or database exchange |
| Standard BC IC integration | Extends standard IC Partner, IC Setup, IC Inbox/Outbox — does not replace the underlying module |
| Key automation flags | Auto Transfer Outbox, Auto Release Outbound Purch, Auto Release Inbound Sales, Auto Create Sales Shipment/Invoice/Credit Memo, IC Inventory Check, Post Purch. Receipt |
| Dimension handling | Configurable dimension mapping between companies (1-1 or standard) |
| Custom fields | Optional extended custom field mapping for transferring additional document fields |
Getting Started
The steps below give a high-level roadmap of a full implementation. Each step points to the article that covers the topic in depth.
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Install and activate the app in both environments. Install BC647 from AppSource in every BC environment that will participate in the IC flow. Launch the Abakion Intercompany install guide to activate the trial, confirm the app is enabled, and provide a contact email address. (See: App Installation and Licensing)
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Run the Intercompany Setup Guide in the Sales Company. Open Assisted Setup and launch the Intercompany Setup Guide. Select the Sales Company role, enter the own IC partner code, and fill in the IC partner code of the Supply Company. The wizard creates the vendor record, purchasing code, IC partner record, and updates the IC Setup. (See: Assisted Setup — Sales Company)
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Run the Intercompany Setup Guide in the Supply Company. Repeat the wizard in the Supply Company environment. Select the Supply Company role, enter the own IC partner code, and fill in the IC partner code of the Sales Company. The wizard creates the customer record, IC partner record, and updates the IC Setup. (See: Assisted Setup — Supply Company)
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Configure the web service connection on each IC Partner card. In each company, open the IC Partner card for the other company and use the Connection Setup Guide to enter the web service URL and authentication details (Microsoft Entra application credentials for SaaS environments). Use the Test Connection action to verify communication before proceeding. (See: IC Partner Web Service Setup)
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Review and enable automation flags on the IC Partner card. Verify that the per-partner automation settings match the intended level of automation — for example, auto-release of inbound sales orders, automatic posting of shipments and invoices, and inventory check capability. Enable or adjust as required. (See: IC Partner Settings and Automation)
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Verify master data alignment. Confirm that item numbers, units of measure, and G/L account mappings are consistent between the two companies. Set up IC G/L Accounts if general ledger transactions are to be exchanged. Configure IC Partner Locations if live inventory availability checks across warehouses are needed. (See: Master Data and Item Mapping)
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Create a test order end to end. Release a sales order in the Sales Company and verify that a purchase order is created automatically. Confirm that posting the shipment in the Supply Company creates a purchase receipt in the Sales Company and that the invoice flow completes without errors. (See: End-to-End Drop-Ship Flow)
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Go live and monitor. Switch from trial to subscription, communicate go-live to users, and monitor the IC Inbox for any transactions that land in an error state. Use the job queue entries in the SCBIC category to observe processing status and diagnose issues. (See: Monitoring and Troubleshooting)
Related Features
The six companion articles build on the concepts introduced here. The Assisted Setup articles (articles 2 and 3) walk through each wizard step in detail for the Sales Company and the Supply Company respectively, explaining every field the wizard creates and why. The IC Partner Settings article (article 4) covers all automation flags on the IC Partner card, including per-partner controls for order editing, pricing, item tracking, and custom fields. The Drop-Ship Flow article (article 5) traces a complete order from sales order release through purchase receipt and invoice matching, showing exactly what happens at each automation step. The Monitoring and Troubleshooting article (article 6) explains how to read job queue status, handle inbox errors, and use the test connection action to diagnose web service problems.
User Stories
| # | As a… | I want to… | So that… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Functional consultant | Understand what a Sales Company does in the IC flow | I can advise the customer which role to assign to each of their BC environments |
| 2 | Functional consultant | Understand what a Supply Company does in the IC flow | I can configure the correct automation flags for the fulfilment environment |
| 3 | Functional consultant | Understand the Sales & Supply Company role | I can plan a multi-tier implementation where one company acts as both buyer and seller |
| 4 | Implementation project lead | Identify which role to assign to each BC environment before starting setup | I can plan the implementation sequence and ensure both environments are configured before the connection is tested |
| 5 | Functional consultant | Get an overview of the Assisted Setup wizard without reading all the detail steps | I can quickly explain the setup journey to a customer during a pre-sales or kick-off meeting |
| 6 | Business user | Understand which document types the app supports — sales orders, return orders, blanket orders, shipments, invoices, and credit memos | I know whether the app covers my current order scenarios without custom development |
| 7 | Functional consultant | Understand how the web service transport replaces manual IC Outbox and Inbox handling | I can explain to a customer why they no longer need to process the IC Outbox and Inbox queues manually |
| 8 | IT administrator | Understand the role of the job queue in the IC automation | I can set up appropriate monitoring and know which job queue category to watch |
| 9 | Functional consultant | Understand that the app extends — rather than replaces — the standard BC Intercompany module | I can plan coexistence with any existing standard IC configuration the customer already has |
| 10 | Business user | Understand the full setup journey at a high level before committing to implementation | I can set realistic expectations with stakeholders about the steps and both-environment requirement |
Field Reference
The fields below appear on the Intercompany Setup page (the standard BC IC Setup page extended by the app). They apply at the company level, regardless of which role the company has been assigned.
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| IC Company Type | Identifies the role of this BC company in the IC network: Sales Company, Supply Company, or Sales & Supply Company. Set automatically by the Assisted Setup wizard; controls which fields and automation options are visible throughout the app. |
| Dimension Handling | Controls how dimensions are mapped when IC documents are transferred between companies. Options range from a direct 1-1 mapping (dimension codes are identical in both companies) to a standard mapping where IC dimension codes and values are translated. |
| Auto Transfer Outbox Transactions | When enabled, the app immediately exports an IC outbox transaction to the partner via web service as soon as the transaction is created, without requiring a user to open the outbox and export manually. |
| Auto Accept Outbox Export Confirmation | When enabled, the confirmation prompt that appears during outbox export is automatically accepted, further reducing manual steps in the outbox process. |
| IC for Web Orders | When enabled, releasing a sales order by any means — including automated release from e-commerce or other integrations — triggers the IC process. When disabled, only a manual press of the Release action triggers IC processing. |